The Light at the Top of the Stairs
by j7r3l
Summary: Captured by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, Ginny Weasley is trapped in a dungeon with Blaise Zabini and pestered by Draco.  What could go wrong?


I'm not JK Rowling, just using her characters. Sorry, I'm american, so if i say something completely unbritish, don't judge me. Not sure whether to make this Blaise and Ginny or Draco And Ginny. Review your opinions! Thanks. Hope you like it.

"What have we here?" Voldemort asks.  
>"Ginny Weasley," Wormtail smiles, kicking me forward, "Girlfriend of Harry Potter."<br>I fall to the ground and then push myself up, which is much more difficult than it sounds when your hands are tied together.  
>"Ah. Ginny. I do believe we've met," Voldemort smiles down at me, something like malice flickering through his eyes.<br>My eyes narrow in defiance, "If you consider possessing me, meeting, then yeah. We've met."  
>His face hardens, just barely, "Tell me everything you know or I will force it out of you."<br>I look at him cooly, "Looks like you're forcing it out of me."  
>"Legilimens!" the word echoes through my mind and I feel the worst pain I've ever felt; I'm almost positive my skull's cracking open.<br>Memories start flashing through my mind and I know that he's seeing them at the same time I am. My father crouching in front of me, telling me there was no difference between mudbloods, purebloods, and halfbloods. Standing on the Hogwarts platform, pulling on mother's robes and asking her when I got to go to Hogwarts. Seeing Harry for the first time, untidy black hair, green eyes, crooked smile, lightning scar. Glaring at Ron. Laughing with Fred and George. Fred glaring at a boy who'd pulled on my ponytail. I flash on mom's face then it's hogwarts, me on the train next to a boy named Dean. The hat on my head, screaming Gryffindor! Watching Harry with longing eyes, Finding the diary, reading it, feeling sympathy for Tom Riddle. Almost dying in the chamber of secrets, Harry saving my life. He fastforwards through Hogwarts, laughing at Fred and George's pranks, Harry kissing me sixth year, kissing Dean, playing Quidditch, coming home on the holidays to big dinners, knitted sweaters, and mom's smiles, sitting in the common room next to the fire, feeling at home, Draco glaring at me with steel gray eyes. He goes back to Harry kissing me, and flashes through my memories of him; kissing him in my room and having Ron barge in, making him a cake for his birthday, seeing him apparate out of the wedding tent without me. He hadn't told me why he was going but I protected him without cause, defending him against other students back at Hogwarts. It then flashes on to when the Snatchers caught me in the forbidden forest trying to send Harry a patronus. Blaise fighting the Snatchers to help me escape. The both of us getting dragged away, an apology in his eyes. He stops then, realizing I had absolutely no idea what Harry was doing.  
>My eyes snap open and I'm back crouching on the floor in Malfoy Manor, glaring up at Voldemort.<br>"She knows nothing. But we may need her to tempt Potter. Take her to the dungeons." Voldemort turns his back, expecting his command to be obeyed.  
>"Incendio," I whisper, hoping it would work without my wand.<br>A little steam rises from his robe but that is all.  
>Voldemort senses it and spins around, "Crucio!" I scream, writhing in pain on the cold hard floor.<br>Several minutes feels like several hours when you're in pain.  
>He finally stops and marches forward, grabbing me by the shirt, "Use magic on me one more time, bloodtraitor and I will kill you myself."<br>He releases me and turns away.  
>Wormtail pulls me to my feet and drags me down to the dungeon.<br>He opens the door and throws me in. I throw myself up against the bars, eyes flashing, "You don't deserve to live." I snarl, "None of you do."  
>He sneers at me then turns to walk away, not even bothering to respond. "Ugh!" I throw myself up against the bars once more, glaring toward the light at the top of the stairs.<br>"It's useless," someone says from behind me. I spin around to find Blaise Zabini watching me with hooded eyes and a split lip, his dark skin nearly blending into the darkness behind him.  
>I sigh, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."<br>He nods once and sits down, leaning back against the wall and stretching his legs out.  
>I sit down next to the door but move into the shadows slightly for I don't like how he can see me and I can't see him.<br>"Why'd you defend me anyway?" I eye him in suspicion.  
>He shrugs, just barely.<br>I nod, accepting this answer.  
>"You and Malfoy. Were you ever friends or were you each more of a one-man team?" I raise an eyebrow.<br>"Something resembling the latter," he replies.  
>I nod.<br>"You know they're going to kill us," he meets my eyes.  
>I nod again.<br>"Probably going to torture us."  
>I nod a third time.<br>"And you'll do it all," he studies my face with wonder in his eyes, "For Harry. Do you really love him that much?" the suspicion is clear in his eyes.  
>I hesitate a moment, his question making me think.<br>I'd liked harry since I was ten. But did I love him?  
>"If he dies, we all die. By killing Voldemort he's saving us all. Only he can kill Voldemort."<br>"So you don't love him."  
>"That's all you got from that? I didn't say that."<br>"You didn't have to," he stands then and crosses over to where I am but his eyes are on the light above the stairs. He shakes the bars, "Malfoy! Draco, get down here!" he calls, dark eyes fixed on the light.  
>Someone blots out the light and slowly comes down the stairs, taking their time.<br>"Come on, malfoy, I don't have all goddamned day."  
>"Actually you do," Malfoy's voice rings out and I can tell just by the way he says it that he's smirking.<br>"Shut up and get the hell down here. I have to take a piss."  
>Malfoy sighs theatrically, opening the doors, "You know I rather like being in control over you."<br>Blaise tightens his jaw, shoving his fisted hands into his pocket, "Wand or not, I could sitll kick your ass."  
>"Too bad I have a wand," Malfoy pulls it out and points it at Zabini, "Walk."<br>"I have to go too." I say.  
>They both turn to look at me. Malfoy lets out a low whistle. "Lookie here. A weasley. I might just have to use you as my house elf."<br>"Shut up, Malfoy, and take me to the bathroom," I stand up.  
>"That's no way to talk to your master," he sneers at me, "So you're just going to have to wait," he clinks the door shut and shoves Zabini toward the stairs.<br>Zabini goes still and shoots him a Slytherin Glare.  
>Malfoy returns it tenfold and Zabini just turns away, walking up the stairs. They disappear out of sight.<br>I sigh and pace back and forth in front of the door. I really had to go.  
>They seem to take forever and when they do come back he opens up the door, shoves his friend in and grabs my arm, pulling me out and clinking the door shut behind me.<br>He doesn't take his wand out, deciding he could take me in a fight if he needed to.  
>"Go on Weasley I have better things to do then babysit the two of you." he prods me forward.<br>I walk up the stairs slowly; my legs are shaky and sore from the cruciartus curse.  
>We go down several hallways to get to the bathroom.<br>"My god, Malfoy, how do you even find your room in this house?" I glance around.  
>"I guess you wouldn't know how to be in a big house like this, since you lived in filth. Bet you lived in a little shack with one dresser and shared a bed with your brothers. Had to step over three sleeping people just to get to the bathroom at night."<br>I narrow my eyes, "Looks like you had to sit alone in your room all day because Daddy was off killing people and your mother was off crying over how unfortunately sad her life was because Voldy was making her precious son do bad things." I taunt.  
>His eyes flash, "Looks like your father was off loving muggles and your mother was at home sewing you up clothes because you couldn't afford to buy them while you were at home pining after Potter."<br>"Better than becoming a Death Eater and being forced to kill innocent people and obeying Voldy's every order." "Better than protecting a coward who's hiding out in a tent right now." "You have no idea what he's doing right now."  
>"Neither do you."<br>I glare at him, "Can we just get to the goddamn bathroom now?"  
>"Never heard you cuss before, Weasley. Bet you couldn't at home or Mommy would wash your mouth out with soap, huh."<br>Maybe, I think, but I don't tell him that, just keep walking.  
>He follows behind me, no doubt watching my ass as I walk. Or maybe I was too much of a blood traitor for that.<br>I finally find the bathroom and walk in, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it.  
>He easily opens it. "I think you need supervision, Weasley, so I'm coming in."<br>"You're going to watch me pee? You little pervert!" I cry, putting my hands on my hips.  
>He closes the door behind him with his foot and leans back against it, watching me.<br>"Turn around or I swear to god, Malfoy-," he rolls his eyes, a grin on his lips as he turns around.  
>I pee quickly, my face red the whole time. Quickly I pull up my pants and flush the toilet, moving to wash my hands.<br>"Why wash your hands? You're living in a dungeon," he spreads his hands.  
>I wash them anyway and then despite his protests lean down and take a long drink from the faucet. I hadn't had a drink since yesterday.<br>He pulls me up and shoves me out the door and we start the long walk back to the dungeon.  
>"I hate you, you know that right?" I ask.<br>"It's mutual," he glances at the wall, unaffected.  
>"Why'd you hate everyone so much? In school?" I glance at him sideways, "Me. Harry. Hermione. Ron."<br>"Because two were blood traitors, one was a mudblood, and the other was a halfblood and the Boy Who Lived. Anything else?" he looks annoyed.  
>"Hmm. No." I decide.<br>"Whatever, Weasley. It's too late at night for all of this." he runs a hand through his hair with a sigh.  
>"Your worried about getting your beauty sleep. While I'm going to be sleeping in a dungeon with your old best friend and worrying about whether I'll live to see my family again."<br>He looks me in the eyes, "I worry about that every single day Weasley."  
>I look at him curiously, but he reaches around me to pull open the dungeon door and pushes me in.<br>I stagger backwards, just barely beyond the doorway.  
>He slams it shut and locks it, eyes on me the whole time.<br>Then he turns and disappears up the stairs. I sit down on the floor next to Blaise. He looks at me for a moment, then closes his eyes, "Get some sleep while you can," he suggests.  
>I nod and lay down, trying and failing to get comfortable.<br>I think about Harry, whatever he's doing in that tent with Ron and Hermione. I think of Malfoy and the tortured look in his eyes as he told me he worried about never seeing his family again. I think of Blaise, moving in front of me and puching a Snatcher in the face. I think of my mother, probably worried sick right now. I think of my father, worried and angry, wondering where I am. I think of Ron, unaware of my disappearance. I think of Fred and George probably as worried as Mom and Dad, not even pranking anyone this week. I fall asleep to Blaise's steady breathing, my eyes on the light at the top of the stairs. 


End file.
